1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions are directed to surgical equipment, and in particular, equipment used for irrigating wounds on the human body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Basins are widely used in the medical field to collect irrigation fluid during an irrigation procedure of a wound on a patient. The wound may consist of a laceration or a cut that breaks a skin surface. Fractures may also require irrigation procedures. Medical personnel irrigate such wounds to flush out any contaminants from the wound prior and/or subsequent to conducting a medical procedure on the wound area.
Irrigation procedures are common in the medical field, particularly in the field of orthopedic surgery, due to the fact that wounds are fairly common injuries, many of them requiring treatment at a medical facility, particularly deep cuts. Therefore, medical facilities tend to maintain a significant number irrigation kits ready for use during surgical procedures. This is also true for emergency room facilities, where patients with wounds requiring immediate treatment generally arrive, and where the number of patients that will arrive throughout a day is impossible to predict. However, the use of irrigation kits is not limited to emergency room procedures and includes other medical procedures as well.
Existing irrigation kits typically include at least one basin to collect the irrigation fluid wrapped in plastic or other material preventing dirt or other contamination from coming in contact with the basin. Wrapping the kit in plastic also allows the kits to be kept separate from each other, even if the kits are stacked one on top of another. Moreover, each kit generally includes various components necessary for an irrigation procedure so that medical personnel usually need not open more than one irrigation kit to perform an irrigation procedure. The components, such as the basins, are usually sterilized.
When a wound requires irrigation, medical personnel open an irrigation kit to take the basin out of the kit, and place the basin in an area below the region of the patient's body where the wound is located. Then, with an irrigation device, the medical personnel directs an irrigation fluid, such as, but without limitation, water, saline, or a solution including antibacterials and/or antibiotics at the wound area to remove contaminants, tissue and/or bone fragments from the wound.
The irrigation device preferably delivers irrigation fluid at a pressure and flow rate sufficient to effectively clean the wound area. The irrigation device may have a shield connected to the device to reduce the amount of irrigation fluid that splashes off the wound field and/or in the direction of the treating medical personnel or on the floor. The shield can further be used to focus the direction of the irrigation fluid on the wound when the device is placed close to the wound area.
Throughout the irrigation procedure, medical personnel adjust the location of the basin to collect the irrigation fluid after it strikes the wound area. For example, one may place the basin just below the body part where the wound is located. Alternatively, one may place the basin in a location to which the irrigation fluid flows after striking the wound area.